Divine Folie pure parfum - divine indeed.

This rare find is quite an experience. Its construction is surprisingly simple -

Neroli, Ylang Ylang

Jasmine, Rose, Orange Blossom, orris, Vetiver

Musk, Vanilla.

The journey here is very different from that of the EDT. It opens with a quick floral flash and immediately goes into a vetiver haze, powerful and incredibly stimulating. Nowhere is there any mention of clove/carnation, but it's there I'm sure. Almeras almost used carnation as a signature note, but it is not mentioned in the notes in the literature.

A couple of years ago, I decided that I couldn't tolerate the vetiver in the modern Baghari nor in Narcisse Noir, yet here it is sensational. The vetiver overlay in the heart notes softens over time, bringing out the flowers more and more fully.

This stage lasts a long time ( a couple of hours) and ends with a gentle musk/vanilla dry down. So, if you like your orange blossom melded with a dry, almost bitter counterbalance, this is one you should definitely try.

I never thought I would be delighted by vetiver as a note, but here it is gorgeous, The dry, sophisticated effect of the note, balanced by the wonderful sweetness of the flowers makes this a very distinctive and unforgettable perfume.

This bottle is the 1984 re-issue. The notes were reorchestrated by Jean Kerleo, using the original formulas. With the exception of Caline (1964) all of the Ma Collection were developed between 1925 and 1946 (L'Heure Attendue) by the genius at Patou, Henry Almeras.

Actually the dry down is absolutely lovely. It becomes a very subtle blend of the heart notes, just barely peeping out from a very pretty vanilla and amber.

I've looked again and again at Invitation and have always concluded it doesn't have enough of a floral heart for my taste.

Although I do prefer essentially floral perfumes, if not, they must be the kind of herbal, green delight of say Crepe de Chine, Dioressence or Ma Griffe. The essentially woody, doesn't appeal in and of itself.

For my woody fix, I have the gorgeous Mysore Sandalwood of L'Heure Attendue.

Oh contraire! I would love to see what notes you were able to find on Invitation. It's a most gorgeous floral chypre. I'm trying to decide what the top note is. Jasmine, Orange Blossom or Tuberose? It's been a while since I've done this. It's definitely floral, and nice and crisp.(probably jasmine)

I answered my own question; there is a list on a site called 'Parfumo'. Invitation bergamot, oak moss, mandarine, mint, musk, sandalwood, thyme, cedar. That sounds right. It's probably the mandarine I'm smelling, but I think they're leaving out a floral, either jasmine or orris or both.

As you can see from the notes, it seems to be 'woody, earthy, aromatic, spicy' according to Fragrantica. The description makes it sound different to the other creations by Almeras of the time. He tended to use a significant floral heart in most of what he produced, albeit at times, the blend was rather sparse in terms of the number of notes his work has.

None of the standard perfume bloggers have done a detailed review of Invitation and it only receives a passing reference as part of the larger body of work of Almeras in the 20s and 30s. As with my other current research love, Coty, the rarer Patous like Invitation can be very hard to find out exactly how they wear.

Looks like it's time you did a detailed review, Kumquat, so that those of us who love the early Patou perfumes can appreciate what we're missing.

I have recently been getting into vintage patou. I was wondering, is Divine Folie something a guy could pull off? I wear a lot of women's perfumes but generally try to avoid anything too overtly floral (i.e., Fracas). But the vetiver that LiliB described makes me think that this might be a fun addition to my collection.

In terms of the vintage Patous, I enjoy wearing Moment SuprÃªme, Colony and Cocktail.

This rare find is quite an experience. Its construction is surprisingly simple -

Neroli, Ylang Ylang

Jasmine, Rose, Orange Blossom, orris, Vetiver

Musk, Vanilla.

The journey here is very different from that of the EDT. It opens with a quick floral flash and immediately goes into a vetiver haze, powerful and incredibly stimulating. Nowhere is there any mention of clove/carnation, but it's there I'm sure. Almeras almost used carnation as a signature note, but it is not mentioned in the notes in the literature.

A couple of years ago, I decided that I couldn't tolerate the vetiver in the modern Baghari nor in Narcisse Noir, yet here it is sensational. The vetiver overlay in the heart notes softens over time, bringing out the flowers more and more fully.

This stage lasts a long time ( a couple of hours) and ends with a gentle musk/vanilla dry down. So, if you like your orange blossom melded with a dry, almost bitter counterbalance, this is one you should definitely try.

I never thought I would be delighted by vetiver as a note, but here it is gorgeous, The dry, sophisticated effect of the note, balanced by the wonderful sweetness of the flowers makes this a very distinctive and unforgettable perfume.

This bottle is the 1984 re-issue. The notes were reorchestrated by Jean Kerleo, using the original formulas. With the exception of Caline (1964) all of the Ma Collection were developed between 1925 and 1946 (L'Heure Attendue) by the genius at Patou, Henry Almeras.

Actually the dry down is absolutely lovely. It becomes a very subtle blend of the heart notes, just barely peeping out from a very pretty vanilla and amber.

I've looked again and again at Invitation and have always concluded it doesn't have enough of a floral heart for my taste.

Although I do prefer essentially floral perfumes, if not, they must be the kind of herbal, green delight of say Crepe de Chine, Dioressence or Ma Griffe. The essentially woody, doesn't appeal in and of itself.

For my woody fix, I have the gorgeous Mysore Sandalwood of L'Heure Attendue.

Oh contraire! I would love to see what notes you were able to find on Invitation. It's a most gorgeous floral chypre. I'm trying to decide what the top note is. Jasmine, Orange Blossom or Tuberose? It's been a while since I've done this. It's definitely floral, and nice and crisp.(probably jasmine)

I answered my own question; there is a list on a site called 'Parfumo'. Invitation bergamot, oak moss, mandarine, mint, musk, sandalwood, thyme, cedar. That sounds right. It's probably the mandarine I'm smelling, but I think they're leaving out a floral, either jasmine or orris or both.

As you can see from the notes, it seems to be 'woody, earthy, aromatic, spicy' according to Fragrantica. The description makes it sound different to the other creations by Almeras of the time. He tended to use a significant floral heart in most of what he produced, albeit at times, the blend was rather sparse in terms of the number of notes his work has.

None of the standard perfume bloggers have done a detailed review of Invitation and it only receives a passing reference as part of the larger body of work of Almeras in the 20s and 30s. As with my other current research love, Coty, the rarer Patous like Invitation can be very hard to find out exactly how they wear.

Looks like it's time you did a detailed review, Kumquat, so that those of us who love the early Patou perfumes can appreciate what we're missing.

I have recently been getting into vintage patou. I was wondering, is Divine Folie something a guy could pull off? I wear a lot of women's perfumes but generally try to avoid anything too overtly floral (i.e., Fracas). But the vetiver that LiliB described makes me think that this might be a fun addition to my collection.

In terms of the vintage Patous, I enjoy wearing Moment SuprÃªme, Colony and Cocktail.